The present invention relates to a gaming system and in particular to a system in which the prizes are related to the amount of wagers.
In a typical gaming system, it is important to avoid the potential for players to predict when a particular gaming terminal will have a win, and thus electronic gaming terminals are typically configured to provide wins on a random or pseudo-random basis, often using a random number generator. Gaming devices typically use some of the wagering revenues to fund prizes, with the remainder (referred to as a xe2x80x9choldxe2x80x9d) being retained by the casino or other game operator. At least some previous devices, while providing prizes on a random basis, have provided one or more prize payouts which are of a fixed magnitude, i.e., which are predetermined and substantially unrelated to the amount of wagers that have been placed since the last win. For example, in a video poker device, a machine may be configured to output a first prize amount in response to a hand which has a pair and a second prize amount in response to a hand which has three of a kind, and so forth. The prize amounts corresponding to each winning hand are, typically, predetermined and constant. In a slot machine game, jackpots or other prizes are paid upon obtaining particular reel combinations. Typically, such gaming devices are configured so that on average (i.e., over a relatively long period of time, which may encompass many games, a number of which may be winning games) the amount of hold for a terminal will approach a predetermined target average hold. However, over a relatively short range (e.g., over a period representing two or three wins), the amount of hold for a machine, will typically be quite volatile. This is particularly true when the hold is considered on the basis of the ratio of the money which is held since the last prize to the total amount wagered since the last prize.
Many previous systems which have provided for random wins have involved a banked game, i.e., a game in which players compete against the house (or xe2x80x9cbankxe2x80x9d) for a prize. This is at least partly because wins which are randomly distributed will occasionally occur close together, so that a subsequent prize is not fully funded by wagers that have been placed since the previous prize. In general, in a banked game, the game operator or xe2x80x9chousexe2x80x9d is at least theoretically at financial risk with respect to winnings. In contrast, a non-banked game provides a fixed fee or percentage of game wagers or revenues to the game operator or xe2x80x9chousexe2x80x9d with all remaining (non-hold) funds being used to pay winning players. In a non-banked game the game operator never has a financial interest in the revenues which are in excess of the fixed fee or percentage hold and thus the game operator is never at financial risk with respect to winnings by players.
Some previous gaming systems have included a feature which provides for a so-called progressive prize which increases in value as more players wager to win the prize. However, such previous devices have been implemented so that players wager for non-progressive (and, typically, banked) prizes at the same time that they are playing a xe2x80x9cprogressivexe2x80x9d game and thus these devices still have at least some banked aspects.
The ability to provide completely non-banked games can be especially advantageous because at least some jurisdictions restrict some or all gaming to only non-banked games. However, it is believed that players generally prefer gaming which appears, from the player""s perspective, to operate substantially as players are accustomed to, which, in general, means players prefer gaming which appears to operate substantially in the fashion that traditional banked gaming operates.
Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a gaming system which avoids and, preferably substantially eliminates, banked gaming, but which preferably closely resembles the perceived play action associated with banked gaming such as banked slot machine, card machine or other gaming. It would be useful to provide a device which can be implemented as a non-banked game, i.e., in which there is not a potential for prizes which have not already been substantially xe2x80x9ccoveredxe2x80x9d by previous wagers.
According to the present invention, a gaming system is provided in which the total of all prizes of the game are covered by (i.e., do not exceed) previously-placed wagers, less a hold portion of the wagers. In one embodiment, for each wager placed by a player, a certain portion is allocated for the hold and the remainder is allocated to one or more multi-terminal prize pools. Each prize pool represents amounts available for paying out prizes won in any of a plurality of gaming terminals. Preferably, each group of gaming terminals which pays out prizes based on a one or more common pools are terminals of the same denomination (i.e. the same minimum wager). Information about the prize pools is preferably maintained in a central computer. From time to time, the central computer will perform an evaluation on the prize pools, e.g. to determine if any prize pools are too large or too small and/or if any prize pools are changing (increasing or decreasing) too rapidly. If a prize pool is too large or is changing too rapidly, the central computer will calculate a value intended to bring the prize pool within the desired size or growth rate range, such as by increasing or decreasing the size of at least some prizes and/or changing the odds of winning (such as by commanding gaming terminals to use a different virtual reel mapping or other odds-affecting data or procedures). The information or commands calculated or selected by the central computer are then communicated to a plurality of individual gaming terminals (preferably all terminals contributing to the prize pool) and implemented to change the size of prizes and/or odds of winning in the individual gaming terminals in a manner so as to affect the common prize pools in the desired fashion.